Intel quietly launches entry-level Braswell SoCs

Intel has quietly launched a range of Braswell SoCs designed for entry-level desktops and notebooks. The new SoCs, which feature similar hardware to Intel's upcoming Cherry Trail line, contain up to four Airmont CPU cores and eighth-generation graphics, built on the same 14nm process as the latest Broadwell CPUs.

Two of the new Braswell SKUs are dual-core parts, the Celeron N3000 and N3050, which come with 1 MB of L2 cache and base clock speeds of 1.04 and 1.60 GHz respectively, boosting up to 2.08 and 2.16 GHz. Both SoCs contain GPUs with a base frequency of 320 MHz, boosting up to 600 MHz.

The other two SoCs are quad-core parts with 2 MB of L2 cache. The Celeron N3150 is clocked at 1.6 GHz with a Turbo frequency of 2.08 GHz, while the Pentium N3700 raises the Turbo frequency to 2.4 GHz. Both of these SoCs contain a 640 MHz GPU that boosts up to 700 MHz.

All Braswell SoCs support DDR3-1600 memory, and all of the aforementioned chips have a TDP of 6W, except the Celeron N3000 which is rated at 4W. This places the Braswell line in the same power consumption bracket as Core M, although Braswell chips are cheaper and will almost certainly have lower performance.

As Braswell is the successor to Bay Trail-D, Intel's line of entry-level SoCs for small desktops and some Chromebooks, we can expect some Bay Trail-D devices to get an upgrade to Braswell in the coming months. Braswell will also show up in new devices, wherever Cherry Trail Atoms aren't quite the right part for the task.